Rising Blades
by Northernsword
Summary: Darkness is spreading upon Midgard due to an unknown antagonist. A group of adventurers must stop an impending disaster as its fullness is revealed to the world...
1. New Things

Disclaimer: I do not own Ragnarok.........you know who does.... and it's not me

Chapter one: New Things

After the disbanding of the Crusaders and the Knights of Prontera a time of darkness came upon Midgard. It wasn't nearly half as bad as the predicted Fimbulwinter (to those who do not know what that is it's a time in Norse mythology when four winters will come straight in a row) but it was worse than seeing the king in his undergarments. Seriously no one wants to see that. Many skraelings had been striking small towns and rebels had been looting cities. It is in these dark times that our story takes place.

Stare looked around the room. Nothing special. No signs of thieves breaking in and the walls and roof were still standing. Good.

Rebels had started to become more common these days. Thieves and rogues as well. It was a chaotic time. The citizens of the major cities Prontera, Payon, Geffen and Alberta had nothing to fear because the guilds based in those cities (except the thieves' guilds) were protecting them. However, the smaller towns like Stare's town were left unprotected. The Kings and Jarls (Norse village chiefs) paid them no attention.

Stare got up and began to dress. He only had the basic stuff for a swordsman in training: a sword, a leather jacket and a novice's uniform. He went into the main room of the house. There was a note on the door. It read: "I'll be back late tonight". Stare read the note and then left for the swordsman boot camp.

That's all for now I need ideas for characters so if you want send me the names of your characters in reviews.


	2. Last Inheritance

Chapter Two: Last Inheritance

Disclaimer: I do not own Ragnarok..............D'uh!

Stare climbed up the stone steps to the swordsman preparation school. Lots of other novices were there; most of them were talking to one another. He entered the open doorway and proceeded to the left hallway towards the final year classes.

The day at the prep school was uneventful. As always their teacher got frustrated by their "lack of fighting prowess". They went to the training fields, beat up porings, killed fabres, dented their swords against pupas and got beat up by creamys.

Stare went home with a sore neck. Actually, he was sore everywhere. The training fields had completely exhausted him.

As he approached his town he noticed lots of fires were up and there was some commotion going on. Coming closer, he heard the ringing of the church bells. Someone had died. He wondered who it was. Silently, in his mind, he prayed. His father had been killed five years ago when orcs tried to loot the village. His mother had been left to care for him since he was ten. If she died he would have to leave the village. The village where he grew up. The very thought hurt him.

He hurried his pace. Soon, he arrived at the town. Some of the houses seemed to have been damaged. They had big cracks and their doors were torn of their hinges. They had the marks of a rebel attack.

He entered the village. People everywhere were either crying or trying to console the others. Suddenly he heard someone call his name. He turned to see an old man walking up to him.

"You're Stare, right?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?" Stare replied.

"I am sad to say so, but I believe your mother was killed in the attack" he said, "She was hit-" He stopped suddenly and looked at Stare. He seemed to have fainted standing up.

"Um, excuse me. Are you listening?" The man asked him. Stare did not reply. "HELLO?!" The man shouted. "I said, are you-" "Where is the body?" Stare said suddenly. "Where?! Take me there!" "Okay, okay. Just be patient".

The man led stare through the crowds of depressed people until they reached the house of the undertaker. He was preparing the dead for a burial. Stare looked around at the bodies. It didn't take him long to find his mother's corpse. She had been cut along her back and stabbed in the gut. The blood had been washed off but the wounds were very visible.

Stare stood there for a long time. Silently mourning his mother's death. He thought about what he would do. He didn't know exactly how long but by the time he stopped being zoned out the old man had left him and the undertaker was doing the final preparations. Stare turned to leave when the undertaker suddenly said "Don't worry, it's free". Stare left and headed back to the boarding house where he lived.

As he approached the boarding house he noticed the landlord waiting for him at the door. He walked absentmindedly up to the landlord and mumbled a "good morning". The landlord blocked his way.

"You're payment is a month overdue! Either you pay me now or I'll take all you're stuff up there!"

Stare grumbled something under his breath as he reached into his pocket. He couldn't feel anything. He searched all his pockets thoroughly but to no avail. "Listen," he said "I don't have anything with me right now. It's all up in my room. So Just let me go in and- " "You're not setting foot anywhere in there until you've paid!" shouted the landlord.

I've got some stuff there, ya know?! Now do you want me to pay or not?" Stare asked, getting impatient.

The landlord seemed to consider for a while. "Well, I'm sure that your "stuff" will suffice for the month you've been staying here."

Stare grabbed the landlord's collar. "Get out of the way!" He shouted. He threw the landlord aside and went in the boarding house. He went up to his room and opened his mother's closet. As he suspected, her shield and sword were inside. He took them out of the closet. He looked around for any money that they might have had. He found none.

Stare sat in silence for a while. Suddenly' the landlord burst into the room. "GET OUT!!" He shouted. Stare got up slowly, turned and left.

That's all for now. Pls. send reviews even if you just write gibberish........


	3. Of Allies and Thieves

Chapter Three: Of Allies and Thieves

Disclaimer: I do not own Ragnarok and I never will.

I thank all those who reviewed. That makes two.

Stare walked of as the sun rose behind him. The journey to his uncle's house would be three days to the west. His uncle lived in a small town near Prontera. Though it was not very well defended it had not suffered a single bandit raid since its founding.

Stare didn't bring much with him. He just brought his mother's sword and shield, his swordsman's gear and whatever coins he found on the road. His load made the journey tiring. By the end of the first day he had covered a small distance because he was still tired. He stopped near a spring and fell asleep.

The next day Stare woke up feeling refreshed and energetic. This was altogether negated once he remembered his mother's death, though. He picked up his gear and started walking. Suddenly, an arrow zoomed past jus two inches from his head. He turned his head to where the arrow had come from. There stood a swordsman, two thieves, an archer and a merchant. Among them the merchant stood out. He was praying fervently and looked like he would have a heart attack.

The swordsman strode up to him and looked him in the eye. His shirt had written on it in bold letters the words: Tax Collector of the Forest. "Listen up kid, we want money and we want it now. So either you just hand it to us or we take it from you" said the swordsman. Stare thought for a moment. "It's really just the same," he said. "If I give you the coins it means that you have compelled me by means of threats to surrender my money, if you take it from me I'll still have lost my money to you" he said. The swordsman considered this. "Alright," he said. "So what do you propose we do?" "Well, to begin with take off those shirts. You are obviously not tax collectors of the forest. There isn't a single forest within three miles. Second you leave me alone." Stare said. This angered the swordsman greatly. "You are asking for a fight!" he said. He drew his sword and pointed it at Stare. "Draw your sword or die unequipped!" Stare drew his sword.

The swordsman swung his sword. Stare parried. He immediately flicked his sword up and thrust it at his enemy. The swordsman jumped back and then ran forward. He slashed. Stare raised his sword and caught the blade with his own. Suddenly the combatants heard a cry. They both jumped back and looked at the rest of the thieves. One of them had fallen to the ground clutching an arrow that protruded from his throat. Suddenly an assassin appeared and stabbed the next thief. The merchant reacted. He took an axe from his bag and chopped the archer's head off. Stare looked at his opponent and saw that he was in shock. He lopped the swordsman's head off.

Stare approached the warriors who helped him. Suddenly an archer appeared out of thin air a few metres away. Strangely though he had two javelins on his back. He approached the group.

"Greetings young warrior" he said, addressing Stare. "Hi." Stare said. "I'm Stare Arrough from Arrathlorien"

The archer examined Stare for a while. "Stare... Is that your real name?"

"No, but I never give my real name. Too long" Stare replied. "Okay," the archer said.

"Well I' m Robert. Call me Spak; I always hated the name Robert. Come to think of it though I don't like Spak either. Like it more than the other, though."

Stare looked at the assassin. "And you are...?"

The assassin looked at him, his eyes piecing Stare's soul. "I don't like introductions, but what the heck. My name is Reiji Ricdeau. I'm an assassin from Fayon, the city of Constellations."

The merchant spoke up. "I'm Bergen Isilfjorder. I come from a line of distinguished merchants." He said, smiling proudly. "My goods are known far and wide for their quality and price."

Spak snickered. "Yeah, low quality, high price" he said.

The merchant glared at him. "The quality's high, too..." he muttered.

"Well," Spak said. "What brings you here?"

"My mother was killed in a raid. I'm heading towards my uncle's house in the Pronteran prefecture." Stare replied.

Spak thought for a while. "I know! Why don't we go with you?" Spak said. "I mean it's along our way and we might get to rest in a real room for once this month."

"Spak, don't forget we have a duty to fulfil." Reiji said. "This boy may need help but there are deaths to justify."

"C'mon. You know it's not out of the way. Just because you don't like another's company you shouldn't reject helping him."

"You are so stubborn," said Reiji, shaking his head in disapproval.

The rest of the journey was uneventful. They reached the town soon but it was not a welcome sight. It was worse than what happened at Stare's town. At the gate was a man in battle armor.

The group approached him. They asked about what happened and got this information: The town had been attacked by "a creature of ice". The guards had tried to stop the creature but had failed. It mauled most of them and ate a few but mysteriously departed after a while.

"This is it," whispered Reiji. "The clue we need to find Garm. Let's go, Spak."

"All right. Well, see you Stare. Bergen! You coming?"

"I think I'll stay here......where it's safe. Besides, I ran out of money for mamonite when we killed those willows." Bergen said.

That's all for now. I still need more names/characters and please R&R.

I said that's all for now. Don't you have a life to live or something? Sheesh, readers these days...


	4. Garm

Chapter Four: Garm

Disclaimer: I do not own Gotterdammerung

Once again…pls review…

"Wait! Let me come with you!" shouted Stare. "I want to help you kill this Garm thing. My uncle was part of this city's guard…His death must be avenged!"

"Alright," Spak said. "I guess were in this together, huh? But don't cause any trouble!"

The three of them walked off, towards the forest. The town was disappearing as fast as the light of the setting sun. Soon it would be evening. They heard crickets chirping and bats squeaking. But among all the sounds one stood out. The howling of wolves.

Soon the town and light had disappeared completely from view. The forest was getting ever closer and so were the noises coming forth from it. Soon they were at the entrance to the forest. Blood splotches were visible on the damp loam. Frozen footprints could be seen leading into the forest. There were also marks of a struggle.

Reiji drew his daggers that shone an unearthly pale blue. Spak strung his bow and nocked an arrow. Stare drew his sword.

They entered cautiously, keeping every step silent. The trail was easy to follow because although there were other wolf footprints only one set was frozen. They lost track of time and the trail kept going on. Though they grew hungry they kept silent.

They no longer knew how long they had been searching. But the blood splotches were lessening in number. They were getting close.

They all readied their weapons and approached with even more caution, not letting their guard down for a moment.

Suddenly, a thunderous roar came from behind them. They turned around to see Garm standing behind them. His mouth was dripping with blood and his claws had some bits of flesh still on them. His feet froze the ground around them. He slowly circled them, waiting for a chance to strike.

Spak released his arrow. It zoomed through the air and struck Garm in the shoulder. Garm waited no more. He lunged at them, fangs bared. Reiji jumped in front of it and stuck one dagger into its temple. Garm felt the leather of Reiji's jacket and closed his jaws on it. Reiji's side was now spurting blood and missing a part. He backed off clutching the laceration. Spak fired another arrow. Garm turned his attention to him. He sprung at him and tried to bite him, too. Spak dodged and pulled two arrows from his quiver. He took aim and released the two arrows at once. They struck Garm's legs. Stare attacked. Garm's mobility had been reduced due to the arrows in his legs and couldn't evade. He took the blow in the shoulder. He was extremely enraged by now. He turned to Stare and struck. He bit Stare's arm. Reiji ran up to Garm and drove his daggers into Garm's shoulders. He struck the blades and was about to break them when Garm relinquished his grip on Stare and flipped throwing Reiji to the blood stained muck. Spak raised his bow and nocked a few arrows. He took aim and then tilted his bow to the sun (at least, where he assumed it was) and fired as he shouted "Arrow Shower!" The arrows cut through the foliage and disappeared from view. Then, arrow after arrow fell through the leaves and struck Garm with tremendous force. Soon Garm was covered with arrows. He collapsed and then got up and the collapsed and rose again. He did this a few times before Stare decided to put him out of his misery (yes it's euthanasia). He raised his sword and let his central energy rise to his arms. He felt his arm muscles course with the power that let him fight. He tightened his grip and locked his muscles. "Bash!!" He shouted as he brought the sword down and cut through Garm's spine. Garm tilted his head to Stare. He coughed and spat out blood and then said "The one you truly seek to destroy is not nature's faithful servant nor is it the noble warrior shunned and maltreated but he who associates with demons and makes deals with devils; he rouses serpents from slumber and tears souls and bodies from the silent embrace of true death; he summons giants and orcs and brings back accursed rulers. Yes, he and his mistress." Then Garm's muscles tightened and his heart shot out of his mouth. Then his body faded into nothing.

Spak looked at the heart on the ground. "Well, there's a sight you don't se everyday."

He turned to Stare. "Well, where will you go? You can follow me to Payon and try to make a living there. I'll still be able to watch out for you. Or you could go to Geffen since it's neutral territory. So, what'll it be?"

"I…I'll got to…Prontera. I'm sure my skills will be good enough for me to be a private guard. There are lots of nobles with too much treasure and too few guards over there. Thanks for the offer bu our travels together end here."

Stare turned and walked away.

That's all till next time. I still thank all those who reviewed.


	5. A New Companion

Chapter Five: A New Companion

Stare had come a long way since his late uncle's town. The journey had taken three weeks. Prontera was now in sight and it was still early morning. The gate was being opened and a few merchant caravans were heading out. The early morning light added to the color of the beautiful city.

Stare entered the gate staring at the numerous houses and buildings that could be seen even from the entrance. He walked with his head up (I mean he was staring at roofs). All the buildings here were taller than any of the ones he had ever seen aside from the swordsman academy. Suddenly he bumped into someone.

"Hey! Watch where you shove your arse you idiot!"

Stare looked at the person he had bumped. She was a merchant around his age. She had a light blue cart stockpiled with weapons and shields. She had an odd emblem on her shirt so Stare supposed she was with a guild.

"Hey," Stare said "are you from a merchant guild?"

"I see you have noticed the emblem on my shirt. No. It is not a merchant guild rather I am the cooperative merchant and supplier of the Allied Swords of Prontera guild. See these weapons they all bear the mark of my guild."

"Right. Would you happen to know anyone who is in need of a private guard? You see I'm a swordsman and I basically need a job. So if you know anyone-"

'Say no more! I know just the person!"

"Really?! So could you take me to this person?"

"No. You already see that person. You see, I need to bring these weapons to the smithy of our guild. They need a tune-up. I'll be passing territory controlled by the Thieves guild. Not that I can't handle a few thieves but I don't want any of the stock to get stolen. So, you up to it? And if you're concerned about payment don't worry I'll pay you a large amount if none of the gear is stolen. Now let's go."

"Hold on. I'll have to guard you even going back I suppose."

"Yep. Now get your arse in gear. We've got no time to lose."

They left the city and journeyed straight through the morning. They did nit talk except about the job. At noon they stopped to rest near a spring.

"So," Stare said, "If I'm going to be with you for quite a while I'd like top know more about you. Like what's your name and where are you from."

"Okay, well the first question first. I am Fiora Kafra. You probably know of the good work my family has done by establishing the Kafra Girls. I am by blood the direct heiress to the corporation. And as of where I come from I am from the town of Alberta. What about you? Where are you from?"

"I'm Stare. I come from Arrathlorien one of the unrecognised towns on the border of the kingdom of Volsung. As it is I have no chance of achieving fame, fortune, glory or anything the nobles in Prontera have. When I decided to become a swordsman the knights of Prontera hadn't been disbanded yet. I wanted to join them. Now my relatives are dead. I have to support myself so becoming a knight is out of the question."

Fiora leaned towards him. "Don't worry about that for now." She said, "I know someone who would gladly help you become a knight. For now just focus on guarding me."

"What else is there to focus on?"

"Shut up. Sarcasm is not accepted."

"Whatever…"

They left the spring and continued their journey. They stopped again when dusk came. They set up a crude camp. It had three tents: one for Fiora, one for Stare and one for the equipment.

"Here's how this night will pass." Fiora said to Stare, "I will sleep and you will take the first shift. If thieves attack you take care of them and then wake me. I'll take the shift after that. If we're not attacked then you stay up all night."

Stare had been up for at least twenty-two hours now. It would be daytime soon and he hoped they would not be attacked.

Suddenly, he heard a faint noise. He slipped his sword out of its scabbard quietly. He looked around. No one was there. He heard the noise again. It was clearer this time. He waited for a while. He heard the noise a few more times. Now it was brighter. Only a small bit brighter but it was enough to let Stare see what was causing the noise.

A mage was lying in the ground not far from where they were. An arrow protruded from his shoulder and another from his thigh. He was hitting two rocks together. Apparently he had been trying ti get Stares attention for some time now.

Stare went inside Fiora's tent. He started searching her bag for potions and herbs. Soon he became aware of a shadow above him. He turned his head backwards. Fiora stood above him with a gigantic Orcish axe in her hands.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" She shouted.

"Um, … I was looking for potions"

"Oh, let me guess. There's a mage outside cringing in pain who's been calling for help for an hour now because he has two arrows stuck in him."

"Yup. All that stuff"

"You must be crazy if you think I'll believe you. Besides, that was sarcasm."

"Well, I wasn't being sarcastic! There is someone outside who needs help!"

"Fine! I'll go check."

They exited the tent and approached the mage. He still had the arrows stuck in him and was losing blood.

'Okay, I'll go get the potions you wait here." Fiora said.

Fiora entered the tent. She searched her bag for potions and herbs. She had to go through a lot of stuff before she finally found them. There were three red potions and one blue potion. She exited the tent and saw quite a surprising scene.

The mage was gone and a thief stood where he was lying and was now pressing a knife to Stare's throat. Meanwhile an odd looking man in a suit was searching Stare's pockets. Stare seemed to be trying to negotiate.

"Oi! What the bloody hell do you two think you're doing?!" Fiora shouted to the thieves.

The two thieves looked towards Fiora. The one in a suit went towards her.

"Do you know that swordsman?" He said.

"Yeah, what difference does it make if I do?"

"All the difference…"

'Listen! If you know what's good for you, you will let him go! And will someone tell me WHAT THE BLOODY HELL HAPPENED TO THE FRIGGIN' MAGE?!"

"Miss merchant, please lower your voice. We are trying to conduct a robbery without attracting attention. If you attempt to foil us we will have to murder you, strip you of your clothes and molest your dead body."

Fiora proceeded to kick him in the groin.

She ran over to the next thief and took out her axe. She loosened the straps of her bag and shouted "Mammonite!"

A fat man appeared in the sky and suddenly the money in Fiora's bag lifted into the air and began to bombard the thief. He shielded his face and in the process let go of Stare. He ran off with the fat man still pelting him with coins.

End of chapter.

Thanks to those that reviewed.

Mabuhay!

I hope you know what that means.


	6. Revelation of Bergen

Chapter Six: Revelation of Bergen

Stare proceeded to examine the now unconscious mugger in the suit.

"He's out! We can tie him up." He shouted to Fiora, "But what hit him?"

"Erm, a shin guard. Yeah, let's tie him up."

They proceeded to tie him up with a rope they found in Fiora's backpack. It wasn't until after they tied him up that he woke up. He looked around, then at Stare and Fiora.

"What the hell are you doing!? Untie me!"

"Hey," said Stare to Fiora "maybe we should untie him!" Then to the mugger "What do you take me for, an idiot!? Let's go, Fiora."

They left the now cursing gangster and headed towards their original destination, the smithy.

It was around noon when they saw the smith shop. It was an old building, which had taken the toll of being used for years. No smoke was coming from its chimney.

As they approached Stare saw a red haired merchant outside the door. He looked impatient and kept banging his fist on the door. He turned around when he saw Stare and Fiora.

Stare recognized him at once.

"Bergen", he shouted. "Surprised to see you here. What are you doing here, anyway? I thought you were still with Reiji and Spak."

"I was when you met me. But I don't really see them that often. They just needed financial support for that trip as well as some equipment. I went with them for a small fee and the promise of an adventure."

"I see." Fiora said. " So you're a merchant as well? You must be a rather wealthy one if you could provide both equipment and financial support. Is your family distinguished in this line of work?"

"Yes."

"Oh, cool. So what's your lineage?"

"I come from the house of the Isilfjorders. You as a merchant probably know them. For even I know you."

"Anyway, I was born into a rich world and one of comfort and pleasure. I could have anything I wanted so long as I made one sale each day starting when I was eight. This made me happy and I thought my life would be like that forever. You know very well, however, that all things come to an end."

"It all ended one day when I was eleven. I came home once from a sleepover at the house of a friend of mine. When I went to my room I saw some people emptying it. All that was left was my collection of miniature alchemic beings. As you can imagine, I was shocked. The people weren't dressed as nobles and were stuffing my things into a bag so I ran to my parents and told them we were being robbed. They simply laughed and then told me what was really happening."

"They wanted me to take my study of the craft of merching more seriously. They were going to send me to a boarding school for novices of all crafts. There I was to learn about basic things but among others mathematics and item lore. It was here I found true friendship."

"Though I had friends before I never considered them as true companions. The friends I made there showed me loyalty and from them I learned about loyalty and trust."

"I soon fell in love as well. It was like a new outlook on life was shown to me. Like another side of the world was revealed."

"I stayed at that school for two years, going home only during the summer. It was during the summer after my second year that my parents truly showed me that my life was to be taken into their hands."

"They told me that they were dissatisfied with my progress and so they were going to assign a tutor to teach me and train me after school hours and during school breaks. This greatly saddened me because I would hardly ever get to see my friends at school. Then they told me they had arranged a marriage for me. I told you that I already had fallen in love with someone. So I told them that I would rather not go with their plans and they were enraged. They reprimanded me as if I had invoked the end of the world. I decided that if my freedom was going to have to be restricted for me to live a good life I decided I would just leave home."

"One night I took what things I needed. I brought some food, some clothes, my school materials and an axe for self-defence. I left home or rather I broke out that night and left on the train to the school. I stayed with an old hermit who let me stay with him after I told him my situation. After a month spent with the hermit I left him because classes had resumed."

"I stayed there and continued school life as if nothing had happened. I mentioned nothing to my friends about what had happened between my parents and I."

"Unfortunately, after nearly half a year, some people who my parents sent to look for me came. I managed to escape but I had to go into hiding again."

"The hermit, who welcomed me before, assisted me in my escape. He told me to go to Izlude and stay there for a while. I did so and left."

"I found life in Izlude enjoyable and so decided I would live there for a while. I stayed there and became an apprentice merchant. My instructor happily taught me since I learned fast and was of some use to him as an assistant. I returned to the school one year after. I had completed my studies as a merchant and wanted to get some information on how my friends were."

"The school had been attacked. The majority of the students had escaped but I realized I would not find my friends again."

"Instead I moved to Izlude permanently to assist my master."

"Five years later, a pair of enigmatic adventurers came to Izlude asking about a monster. I assisted them in finding it. I believe that you, Stare, know about that chapter of my life. For it was during that time that I encountered you. And I know you, miss Kafra, because you were the one I was set to marry. You were a lot younger then so I doubt you remember me."

"Interesting." Fiora said. "But what are you doing here? I mean if you're really supposed to be here I expect that you would know the password."

"…Password?" Bergen sounded confused.

"Rothion! We need help!" Fiora shouted inside.

The door opened and a man in his late fifties appeared. "Oh, hello Fiora. Come in." He said.

Fiora, Stare and Bergen entered.

"Hey. How come you didn't tell me about a password?" Bergen asked Rothion.

"I was hoping you'd get annoyed and just leave."

"Oh…"

"Rothion, Erk wants you to repair some shields." Fiora said.

"Alright." Rothion said. "It's pretty late. You and you're friend go have dinner and go to bed. The shields will be done by tomorrow afternoon. The annoying one here will help me since he wants to learn how to smith gear." Rothion said.

"Thanks." Fiora said as she and Stare proceeded into the kitchen.

That concludes this chapter. Once again I beg for reviews. Even if its nonsense.

…And I thank those who have already reviewed. 


	7. Guildmates

Chapter Seven: Guildmates

Bergen twitched. Someone had been shouting outside for several minutes, depriving him of the peace needed to sleep. He decided that rather than getting annoyed he should go do something about it.

He got up and put on his clothes and brought his axe. He walked to the door and opened it. Looking outside, he saw two men. One was a thief in the thief guild's standard uniform. The other one, who was noticeably older had black hair and was wearing a golden mask. A longsword was slung across his back.

"What do you want?" He asked them.

"Bring out that swordsman who attacked us!" The thief shouted back.

"Who's that?" Bergen asked.

"That red-haired kid with the merchant!" He shouted back.

"Oh, um he's sleeping come back some other time." Bergen said, and then slammed the door closed.

The loud enraged shouting continued as soon as the door completely blocked its frame. They were shouting demands again.

Rothion entered the main room.

"What's going on?" He asked Bergen.

"Thieves outside…YAWN…picking a fight"

"Well I'll settle this" Rothion said.

He got a hammer lying on a nearby table and grasped it firmly in his right hand.

He opened the door and began shouting immediately.

"Why don't you thugs let us get some peace and quiet! Damn you all thrice and-" He suddenly cut off. "Just leave…" He said, suddenly calmed.

"You think we'll just leave like that? Your age must be getting to you!" the younger thief shouted.

"You just shut up, LC!" the other one said, "We'll be going. That's that…"

They walked away with the older one in the lead. The younger one was grumbling complaints and insults.

-

Stare and Fiora woke up an hour or so later. They ate breakfast and prepared to leave. They gathered the equipment, said their goodbyes and then took to the road.

They reached the gates of Prontera by mid-afternoon. They entered the city and Fiora continued confidently navigating her way towards the guildhouse. Stare followed unsurely in the rear.

"What's wrong, Stare?" she asked.

"It's that…um…well, our deal was bodyguard service there and back here and, well, I think it's over."

"That's all? I thought you wanted a job? Come with me and you'll be able to haul your arse around this city as a guild member guard and get paid for it. Regular pay."

"Are you sure? Normally guilds have certain requirements and-"

"Don't worry. It'll be fine. It's a simple test." She then continued walking. "Better hurry. The test starts in an hour."

"What! I'm too tired for that." Stare complained.

"Oops. The interview starts in an hour. Five of you. The test will be tomorrow morning. And as of the payment, you'll get it tomorrow. That's when I'll get my money from Erk."

They continued through the maze of roads, promenades and alleys between the buildings of Prontera. Soon enough they came to the very heart of the gigantic city, the castle of the king. To its right was the Chivalry, once home to the glorious Knights of Prontera and the noble Crusaders. To its left was the guildhouse of the Swords of Prontera guild. Around the castle and the two other buildings, a park highlighted the center of the city. Behind the castle and past the park, there were a few houses for nobles and past those, the slums.

"Hurry up! The interview will start in half an hour and you still need to sign up!" Fiora said. She ran up to the guildhouse door and knocked.

A nearly invisible slot opened and a man peered out from behind the door. He studied them carefully. After around five seconds he opened the door. He let them walk in but kept staring at them as if he was expecting them to do something wrong.

They went past the main lobby and went down many passages. Soon they came to a room. It looked like any other room but its label was different. All the rooms were labelled but Stare couldn't understand the language they were written in.

They proceeded inside. There were seven others there. One was a brown haired knight. He looked stressed. To his right was a female crusader who looked a bit younger. To his left was an effeminate crusader. In front of them were four people, probably the other candidates for guild membership. There was a thief, a mage, a merchant and an acolyte.

Fiora approached the three who seemed to be in charge. Stare figured they were because of their status.

They talked for a while. Then, the knight said " Go on, take a seat. The interviews will start soon. We'll call you at random and you'll answer the questions we ask you."

"Um, won't I have to sign up first?" Stare asked, to no one in particular.

"Forget that. We've wasted enough time as it is. Besides, you got a recommendation from a guild member that will have to do." The effeminate crusader replied.

Stare did as he was told. He found a seat beside the mage. He seemed to be a typical mage. Cold, aloof, apathetic and distant. Stare wasn't used to them that much so he kept quiet.

The first called was the acolyte. He seemed quite confident. After around ten minutes, he returned to where he was originally seated. Next called was the thief. He got a bit nervous after the first minute or so of questions. He took around ten minutes as well. The mage went afterwards. He was quite confident, if that's what it could be called. The interviewers seemed a bit confused at his answers but he didn't seem to care. He returned to his seat around five minutes later. Stare was next.

He walked over to the three. And stood before them trying to look casual.

"There's no need to be stiff about it. We just ask you a few questions about yourself." The female crusader said. "Now let's begin. First what is your name?"

"Uh, Stare's the name I go by."

"Okay. Do you have any training in first aid, combat, magic or reconnaissance?"

"Well, I know basic melee combat, basic martial ranged combat and I know some first aid techniques."

"Okay. Are you experienced in body guarding or fighting in areas where the innocent are in potential danger?"

"Uh, not really…I took a job once and that's all."

"I see." The female crusader said. "You may return to your seat."

Stare got up and went back to where he was originally seated. The merchant got up as he sat down and went over to the three interviewers.

After ten minutes or so the merchant returned to his seat. When he sat down the three interviewers got up.

"All of you are to return here by seven in the morning tomorrow." The knight said. "Bring your weapons. The combat trials will start then."

The three then left the room.

Stare exited as well. The others were all leaving.

"Well," Fiora said. "When you come back here tomorrow I'll give you your pay."

"Well then where am I supposed to spend the night? I can't get a room at the inn."

"This does pose a problem… But it's not MY problem. You go solve it. I think the monastery has some rooms for travellers."

Fiora left going off to somewhere else on the guild house. Stare turned and left, heading towards the exit.

Stare checked his belongings before entering the guildhouse. He yawned as he searched through his bag for anything that might have gone missing. It had taken him three hours to actually find the monastery but at least he was able to get some sleep. He picked up his bag, sword and shield and entered the guildhouse. His mother's sword and shield were strapped to his back.

By the time he got to the testing site he saw the mage blasting something with at least three-dozen bolts of lightning. The area where the mage was standing seemed to be some sort of arena. There were marks of battle everywhere. Some slash marks, scorched areas and breaks in the ground were scattered around the circular soil arena.

The mage was called back and handed a slip of paper. He cursed and ran out of the testing area.

"Hey, you there! You're late. Get over here!" The knight from the previous day shouted to Stare.

Stare ran over to him.

"Okay. I thought you weren't coming. Anyway the test is simple. We'll set you up against three monsters. You have to defeat them, simple right? Anyway there's one condition. Inside the arena with you will be a golem. He is enchanted to revive when slain but you have to defend him anyway. Our purpose in this guild is to protect the innocent." The knight said to Stare.

Stare nodded. He put his bag down and unstrapped the sword and shield tied to his back. He then proceeded to the arena.

"Alright then. First monster coming in five seconds. Prepare yourself!" Shouted the knight.

Stare readied himself. He noted the golem's position out of the corner of his eye.

The monster appeared. It was a poring.

Stare drew his sword. He rushed at the poring. It looked up at him curiously. He gathered his strength into his sword arm. He felt the rush of power in that arm and then swung down hard. The sword sliced the poring half.

"Alright. The next one will come in five." The knight shouted.

Stare moved closer to the golem. It was made of iron, he noticed.

Then the next one came. It was a chonchon.

Stare ran at it, his sword raised above his head. He slashed and the chonchon flew to the side. Then it made its riposte. It flew backwards then rushed forward, its strength aided by the momentum. It managed to push Stare back a few steps. Stare parallelled his sword with the ground and delivered a horizontal slash. The chonchon, which was rushing in for another hit, wasn't able to evade and took the hit. This made it temporarily open to attacks. Stare took this opportunity and delivered a vertical attack. The chonchon was slashed in half.

"Impressive. Monster number three will be there shortly." The knight said.

The third monster appeared. It was a rocker.

The rocker went hopping about strumming on its guitar. It completely ignored Stare.

Stare positioned himself with his sword behind him, its tip touching the ground. He approached the rocker slowly. Then, he concentrated his power into his sword arm, preparing for another all out bash attack. He swung his arm over his head in a vertical slice and slammed his sword down on the passive rocker. It hit. The rocker took some damage but was protected by its exoskeleton. It was stunned however. Stare slashed at it again. Once again, it was dazed. Slash three. Miss. The rocker jumped back and then forward, swinging its guitar madly. The crude weapon hit Stare on the head and knocked him down. The rocker readied itself again. It lifted its guitar above its head and slammed down. The guitar hit Stare in the stomach, blasting the air out of him. The rocker lifted the guitar again. As it began to fall, Stare brought up his shield. The guitar hit the shield. Stare pushed his shield to his left at the same time driving the guitar away. This left the rocker with an opening. Stare jumped up and slammed his body into the rocker. This forced it back so Stare was able to slash at it. Now the rocker was in pain. Stare lifted his sword, gathered his strength and delivered one final vertical attack to end the creature's life.

"Very nice." The knight said. "Proceed here."

Stare did so and found the other applicants there with the knight.

"Alright. We have come to a decision." The female crusader said. "The two chosen to be accepted as the newest members of the Allied Swords of Prontera are Stare and Matthew. You both did exceedingly well protecting the golem, though your combat skills need some practice. You will be instructed on your duties tomorrow."

Stare smiled. He watched as the others walked off. Eager to know which one of them was Matthew. Soon, it became apparent that the acolyte was the one.

The acolyte approached Stare. "I see you're my um…uh…classmate or something. My name's Matthew, as you already know. I'm an acolyte of the order of the Dawn Treaders. And you're Stare?"

"Yeah. I'm a swordsman…sort of…I'm from one of the small border towns of Volsung."

"I see." The acolyte said. "Well then, glad to meet you, guildmate." He extended his hand.

Stare grasped it firmly and shook it.

This was a long one. Again. I thank those who reviewed. Four of you… To all others who read this pls. review.


	8. Guild Life

Chapter Eight: Guild Life

Stare slowly awoke. His consciousness returned to him slowly as the heat of the sun's rays warmed him. He rose from his bed and put on his equipment. Upon joining the guild, he had received some sort of belt. It had the guild emblem on it to designate him as one of the patrol members. The lowest rank.

He had found out some things about the guild. Things like who the interviewers/ testers were. They were the three highest-ranking members. From the most powerful they were Erk La Gowe, Angelus Serra and Dominic Soreu.

Erk La Gowe had served as one of the king's generals before the Knights of Prontera had been disbanded. After which he founded the Allied Swords with twenty other knights. He soon changed the name to Allied Swords of Prontera. He kept all his medals and badges in a publicly displayed cabinet to deter those who would oppose him openly. A bit harsh, but he was a good leader anyway.

Angelus Serra was a crusader, one of the last. She knew where all the other crusaders went to and probably still knows where they are. She was one of the founding members of the Allied Swords of Prontera.

Dominic Soreu or Dominion as he is called by most is, unlike the other two, not one of the founding members. He rose in rank quickly because of his amazing skill in battle. He became a crusader through the instruction of Angelus' brother.

Stare soon found the instruction room. He was going to get his first patrol assignment that day. He entered the room and saw that Matthew was already there.

"Well, you're finally here." Said a voice.

Stare turned to the speaker and saw that an old man was there.

"Well now that you're here I may as well tell you two your assignments. You'll be working together until we can establish whether or not you are capable of handling yourselves on your own. You'll be assigned to market crossroad seven. There aren't any serious crimes there but it is a marketplace. There will be some petty thieves for sure. Just try to avoid violence okay?" the man said.

"Okay. We'll do that", Matthew said. "When does our shift start?"

"When the enchanted pendulum clock in the main lobby indicates two hours past noon."

"Okay. See you later, Stare" Matthew said as he exited the room.

Stare left as well. He saw Matthew walking down a hallway. He went in the other direction, down the path that lead to the mess hall.

Stare got to the mess hall and noticed that there weren't many people even though it was around seven hours past midnight. He approached one of the people there, a thief.

"Hey, doesn't anyone eat here?" Stare asked.

"Not really. Just the people who room here."

"So…by the way, where is market crossroad, um, seven?"

"Go to the marketplace and ask around I'm not too familiar with it myself. I work around the slums."

"Okay. Thanks."

Stare went over to a counter where a merchant was situated. He got some food and went to one of the unoccupied tables. There he sat in silence and ate. Then he became aware of someone approaching him.

"Hi Stare."

Stare turned around to face the speaker whose voice he recognized as Fiora's.

"Well, have you gotten your first assignment yet? I know they normally give them on the second day."

"Yeah. I'm assigned to the market place."

"That's a pretty broad area. Any specifications?"

"Yeah, crossroad seven."

"That's nice! You'll be nearby then." Fiora said happily.

"Near…by?"

"Yes. I'll be doing some shopping later. Y'know trading with the adventurers."

"Okay. I still don't know where that is, though." Stare said softly.

"Okay. Just meet up with me at my house before your shift, then."

"Where's your house?" Stare asked.

"West of the agit, you can't miss it."

"Agit?"

"Yeah, it's a term for guildhouse. See you later, I've got some stuff to do."

"My shift starts at two."

"I'll be at my house just before lunch, you be there by one then. Bye." Fiora said. She waved goodbye then left Stare.

Stare approached the giant manse that loomed ahead. Its gates were cobalt blue and it was at least four stories high. A gardener was tending to its massive yard.

He approached the gate cautiously and rang a bell hanging beside the gate. Nothing seemed to happen. Stare rang it again. Still nothing happened. He was about to ring it again when a servant came running up to the gate.

"I'm here, I'm here. You can stop that condemned ringing already!" he shouted as he unlocked the gate.

"There wasn't any ringing at all." Stare said.

"Not on the outside! What kind of idiot are you! Don't you know an enchanted gate bell when you see one?" The man shouted. "What business have you here?"

"I'm here to see miss Fiora." Stare replied.

"Why would she want to see a street idiot commoner like you! Begone before I set the dogs on you!"

"Fine!" Stare shouted as he walked away.

Stare stood by a house near the manse. From his point of view he could see the gates well. He just needed to wait for Fiora to leave for the market.

"Hi."

Stare turned around. Matthew was standing behind him with a puzzled look on his face.

"Hi Matthew."

"So…are you stalking Fiora or something? If any of her bodyguards find out you're going to be so dead I won't be able to resurrect you."

"NO! I'm waiting for her to come out 'cause her STUPID doorman won't let me in!"

"Okay…no need to shout…but our shift's almost up."

"I know. I just don't know where our shift is."

"Market Crossroa-"

"Where is that?"

"Oooooooohhhhhhhhhh. So that's what you don't know. Truth is I don't either. So I'll ask the 'stupid' doorman." Matthew walked towards the gate of the manse, leaving Stare to continue his obviously less effective course of action.

Matthew soon returned smiling.

"I have the location. Are we still waiting for Fiora?"

"I guess not. I'll just tell her what happened later."

Stare and Matthew sat on the paved walkway that led down to the main marketplace. No thefts had occurred and no one seemed even mildly suspicious.

People seemed to just come and go peacefully, hardly ever even stopping to look at what the merchants had to offer. There were a few kids around and the occasional thief guild member who would run into the shadows after noticing them as well.

Their shift soon ended with nothing out of the ordinary happening. They returned to the guildhouse and rested up for the next day.

Alright then. Pls. review.


	9. Gift of Emblem

Chapter 9: Gift of Emblem

Stare flopped down on Matthew's bed as he waited for him to heal him. They had failed to stop a lot of thefts in their area of assignment in the past few weeks. They had been berated several times by their superiors and had received some temporary pay deductions. They were also quite unpopular with the citizens in the market area.

Matthew finished sniffing the blue herb. He raised his hands and muttered a soft prayer. Stare's wounds were healed and his bruises disappeared.

Stare rose slowly. He sighed.

"Well at least we stopped that last one." Stare said.

"Yeah, well that doesn't redeem us yet. It bothers me how an accomplished acolyte and a trained swordsman can do so poorly against these amateur thieves." Matthew said, crestfallen.

"Yeah,…about that. I'm not exactly a swordsman yet. I learned all the lessons, mastered the techniques and did all the training but…"

"But…?" Matthew looked confused.

"But I never had the chance to take the test."

"Why not!"

"Well I was just going to in my home town but then there was the raid. I left for my uncle's town but then it was attacked, too. Keep in mind that these were small towns not even marked on most maps. The king wouldn't care for them."

"I see. Well, let's try to find some time for you to take it." Matthew said, smiling.

"Yeah, let's." Stare said thoughtfully. 'Seeing how we're doing I don't think we'll have much free time, though."

"Guess not. Well, we'd better rest up. Never know what we'll have to do tomorrow."

"Later." Stare said as he left the room

Stare flopped down on his bed and slipped into the silent realms of the subconscious.

Stare hastily put on his equipment. He had overslept. He was starting to get flustered so it took him a while to finish. He looked at Matthew's door there was a sign on it. "Meeting w superior. Morning." It read. Stare ran off to their superior's office, hoping Matthew was still there.

Stare could here voices from within the office. He knocked on the door softly. No one seemed to notice so he did it again, this time louder. The door opened.

"Come in." A gruff voice called.

Stare entered and stared around. Matthew was there and so was a knight along with their direct superior.

"Alright, let me put this quickly now that you're all here. You three have been doing…How do I say this…Oh, I know you all failed miserably! You three are going to be on suspension for one week! Feel free to tell me now if you'd rather quit the guild."

A silence then engulfed the room. No one moved. Suddenly the knight fainted and fell to the ground. His armor produced an echoing clang.

"All right. Seems you want to stay. We'll try to think things over, take this time to improve your skills. You're not allowed to use the dorms here for this week, though. Get your stuff and find some other place to stay. Dismissed!"

Stare and Matthew sat on a park bench, the fainted knight draped beside them on the bench's backrest. Their things had all been moved to the monastery. They were all pretty much in shock of the morning's happenings. Stare was munching on a piece of dried meat. He kept his sword with him. Matthew was staring at the sky.

"I'll go for a walk. I have to clear my mind. See you at the monastery." Stare said.

Stare walked around Prontera in some random directions, not really minding where he went. He soon found himself wandering the back alleys and hidden ways of the capital. He got the attention of many beggars and thieves who eyed him suspiciously. Stare ignored them and continued walking. He soon found himself at the market. He wandered around looking at weapons and armor. Before he knew it, it was evening. He decided to return to the monastery.

Stare entered the room where he, Matthew and the unnamed knight were staying. The knight was finally up and was eating something. Matthew was on his bed, reading a book. Stare sighed. He got ready for bed then flopped down on his bed.

"I've been thinking," Matthew said, not turning away from his book. "Why don't you take the swordsman test tomorrow? At least something will be accomplished while we're suspended. I'm returning to training here so then we'd both learn some new things."

"I suppose I should. Nothing to lose."

"Alright then. It's settled."

"I guess."

"Good night, then."

"Yeah, you too."

Stare got up. He scanned the room. Matthew was up, praying but the knight in their company was still asleep. He slowly got dressed.

"I'll be out now. I'm going to take the test."

"I pray for your success." Matthew said in reply.

Stare made his way out of the monastery and to the swordsman guild. The main branch was in Izlude but they had expanded and set up other branches.

He found it easily. It was near the main gate of the city. He entered it and looked around a guide saw him as he entered.

"Are you here for the test?" he asked.

"Yeah." Stare said.

"Don't get so worked up. It's simple. Just put those weights on," the guide said, pointing to some iron bands. "and run the course in five minutes."

'Cool. I can do that." Stare walked over to the weights and began fastening them to his wrists, arms and legs.

Soon he was running the course, balancing on the wooden bars and avoiding the gaping pits in the course. He failed a few times but eventually succeded. He emerged from the dark testing area and into the glaring noontime sunlight. He decided to return to the monastery first of all.

A little later Stare was walking through the halls of the monastery towards the room where he was staying. Lots of the inhabitants weren't even monks or priests. It seemed that the monastery housed dozens of otherwise homeless people such as retired knights and unlucky merchants.

When Stare got to his room only the knight was there. He figured Matthew was doing that training he mentioned earlier. The knight quickly spotted Stare's brooch which indicated him to be a swordsman. He jumped up.

"Aha! So you passed. This calls for a celebration!" The knight exclaimed.

"Yeah…except we're broke so that's out of the question." Stare said.

"Come on. Surely we can expend a little for this occasion! We don't need much."

"Whatever then. You're spending." Stare sighed.

"Very well! We'll have a little fun tonight. Let's wait till Matthew comes by."

Later that night Stare found himself in a tavern with a sober acolyte and a very drunk knight. He himself had a few drinks. All around there seemed to be some kind of dark aura. Everyone in the tavern seemed to have some kind of problem. Why the knight chose this place was a mystery to Stare.

A few tables from Stare's an alchemist and a very drunk and depressed archer were having one of the said problems.

"He was a jerk anyway. There are a lot of other nice guys out there." The Alchemist said, trying to comfort her depressed friend.

"Yeah…but" the archer grabbed a bottle of beer and drank its contents all at once. "Never mind…I'm hopeless."

"Look over there." The alchemist pointed at Stare. "He's got potential."

"You think so, Asah? He looks kinda young…" the archer said, sizing Stare up.

"He's as old as you are. Which reminds me, you shouldn't be drinking…"

"Alright, I'll give it a shot." The archer got up and began to walk over to Stare's table.

"You go, girl." Asah said as her friend got up.

Author's Notes

Sorry for the late update…Thanks to all who have reviewed! And, um…I'm still accepting character ideas.


	10. Old Friends

Chapter Ten: Old Friends

Stare sipped at his drink while Matthew kept on talking about the evils of drinking. The knight was practically dead. All of them were unaware of the approaching entity.

The archer tried to calm herself as she approached the threesome. She took a deep breath then stepped up to Stare.

"Hi." She said.

Matthew and Stare turned to face the speaker. They scanned her body, noticing her shaky stance and bloodshot eyes.

"Umm, hi." They said in unison, still staring at her reddened eyes.

"So…You guys don't seem to be having a terribly wonderful time." The archer said, her sounds slightly slurred.

"Yeah. We're having a wonderfully terrible time." Matthew answered.

"You know…my friend and I could liven things up for you…" the archer said seductively.

"You're quite blatantly stupid, girl. I'm wearing acolyte's robes and you start using these suggestive terms." Matthew said.

"You're mean!" the archer said. She turned and left.

"I wonder what that was about…" Stare said, taking a sip out of his mug.

"Probably a whore." Matthew said.

"Let's go. Wake him up." Stare said, pointing to the knight.

Matthew nudged their friend in the shoulder. Getting no response Matthew began to kick and punch the knight in various areas.

"What happened!" Asah asked as her friend sat back down.

"They called me stupid…" the archer said with a frown.

"The acolyte? Or was it the swordsman?"

"The acolyte…"

"We don't care what he thinks! Go for the swordsman." Asah said looking exasperated. "Go back and talk to the swordie!"

"Fine…if you're sure…"

"Yeah. Good Jessica."

The archer sighed and walked over to Stare's table where Matthew was still trying to get the knight to wake up. Obviously, they weren't very successful.

"Hi there." She said, using her sweetest and most unslurred voice possible.

"What?" Matthew said, obviously irritated by the archer's persistence.

"I wasn't talking to you." She snapped.

"Yes?" Stare said.

"Hey. You don't seem to be having so much fun so my friend and I thought…you know, maybe you guys would like to come with us and, like, I dunno…sleep over?" Jessica said.

"I guess that's ok… I mean not like it's an immoral thing, right Matthew?"

"Not directly…if you want you can go. I have to train some more, not to mention lug this tin can home." Matthew said, kicking the knight.

"Hehe, have fun." Stare said as he let the archer lead him out of the bar.

Matthew sighed. "I hope Stare maintains his innocence…"

The knight suddenly sprang up. He looked around then flopped back down on the table. He muttered something incoherent then began to snore.

Somewhere else in Prontera…

"There he is…shoot him now."

"Always so eager…There's more to life than death and inducing it, you know…"

"Just kill him, damn it! You were a famous assassin, why not!"

"We came for reconnaissance, not assassination."

"They intend to kill him."

"Intentions don't always come out right…"

"Whatever…"

"Look, Rai! Isn't he that swordsman boy from the plains?"

"So it would seem…why don't you call him over?"

"Okay…Hey, Stare!"

Stare stopped suddenly. He turned to the archer. "Did you hear that?"

Jessica nodded. "Yeah, quite sure I did."

"Stare! Up here!" the voice came again.

Stare looked up and saw two familiar faces, just barely.

"Who are those?" Jessica asked, squinting into the darkness at two faces.

"Some old friends." He raised his voice towards them. "Why don't you guys come down?"

"We're on a mission, Robert." Rai said.

"Aw, c'mon. Having a little fun isn't bad." Spak said.

"We're on duty. Robert!"

"You know, he might have noticed some suspicious on goings. He could help us."

"We don't need help. Now shoot the man!"

Spak sighed he looked down to Stare. "Catch you later!"

"Now can we get back to the mission?" Rai asked.

"Sure. I'm still not killing anyone though. We'll keep watching him. He seems to be meeting with someone…a wizard of some sort…" Spak said, returning to watching their target.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Prontera's poorer areas…

There they are, Supaida." The thief said to his formally clad cohort.

"Indeed. Wait, that's only one of them…that's not the same girl…" Supaida replied.

"You're right…regardless, we must extort our retribution from this hapless warrior." The thief's mouth twisted into a wicked smile. "We ambush them. Do what you want with the girl…I shall taste blood tonight!"

"Whatever…you know maybe you should consider taking to more honorable ways like-" just then Supaida noticed his companion jumping off the building. "LC! Wait for me!" Supaida shouted, jumping off the building as well."

It was too late. LC had already jumped in, striking out as quickly and accurately as he could. Unfortunately for him, speed and accuracy didn't seem to work together and all the blows he landed couldn't deal much damage due to Stare's adequate armor. Stare was taken off guard but soon began to riposte and counter whenever possible. Soon the exchange of blows became more heated but Stare was starting to come out on top.

Jessica was still in shock and her drunken state didn't help her reaction time. Supaida on the other hand was observing the exchange of blows and the combatants' movements carefully, readying himself to jump in at any instance.

"It's been a long time, Supaida." A voice said from the darkness of the rooftops.

Author's Notes:

Yes, well that's all for now…another filler chapter or something I guess. Thanks to LC techno for the continuing support… :D


	11. Duel in the Alley

Chapter Eleven: Duel in the Alley

LC's dagger sliced into Stare's armor. Stare winced then returned with a powerful kick to LC's gut. LC was staggered and backed down. Meanwhile, in the convenience of the shadows, two warriors of greater skill were having a conversation.

A knight, a royal guard stood near Suapida. He held a pike in one hand and a shield in the other. His hair was concealed by a shining helm. He wore the tabard of the royal guards. It was tattered but still clear enough to be distinguished.

"It's been a while Supaida. How long again?" he asked.

"A year at least. Has your lance dulled?" Supaida asked, removing his jacket to reveal a blood red vest with feathered seams. He then pulled out a gladius and a shield, getting into a combat stance. "Bring it on, Tash. My blade is yearning for blood and metal."

"Sure thing." The knight replied.

Suddenly Matthew came from around a corner. He looked exhausted and annoyed. "Sir knight, would you please calm down and-" Matthew soon noticed that the knight who was with them earlier was about to engage on combat. Or at least that was what seemed to be going on. "What's going on here?"

"Stand back Matthew, this is for myself and Supaida here to settle." Tash said, getting into position as well.

"Let's go." Supaida said. And with that he lunged at Tash with his gladius extended before him and his shield pulled tight against his body.

Tash raised his shield and easily deflected the blow. Supaida sidestepped and appeared to Tash's right. He spun his gladius then stabbed repeatedly at an inhuman speed. The numerous blows tore some holes in the platemail Tash was wearing and ripped up the tabard. He backed out of combat to take a breath.

"Heavens, what speed." Tash muttered under his breath, trying to regain his composure after the flurry of stabs. The wounds weren't too deep but the pain was searing. "How'd you get so fast?'

"Oh you'd be surprised at what the essence of a Doppelganger could do to your weapon." Supaida said, grinning wickedly.

Meanwhile, with Stare and LC…

Stare wasted no time in capitalizing on the move he had just made. He raised his sword and brought it down in a wide arched overhead slash. LC evaded, barely, taking a slight cut to his arm. Stare was still on the offensive. He jabbed his shield into LC's gut. He hit, knocking the air out of him. LC kneeled in pain, clutching his gut. Stare kicked him hard in the side, knocking him over. He stood looking over the demoralized thief and placed a foot on him. He applied some pressure, staring into the thief's eyes.

"Leave us alone. Next time it's off with your head." Stare said. He released the thief but kept his sword out and held his shield high.

LC got up slowly, grimacing as he moved his injured body. Suddenly, a loud clang was heard.

Tash slammed his spear into Supaida's buckler, piercing a hole through it. At the same time Supaida slashed at Tash's shield, denting it. Tash backed away.

"Looks like the real conflict is over." He said, pointing at the injured figure of LC and the victorious swordsman. "Anyway, I'm off duty now. We've got no fight, right?"

"I suppose so. Lucky for you." Supaida said. "I'll beat you next time, though."

Tash and Matthew walked over to where Stare was while Supaida and LC made a getaway. The archer named Jessica still seemed to be behind things. She looked around from person to person, trying to guess what had just happened.

"What happened?" Matthew asked.

"It's some guy Fiora and I beat in the plains outside the city. He was probably trying to mug me." Stare said, massaging his arm. "No big. I'd better take her home, though. She seems quite disturbed." Stare said, pointing at the archer.

"All right." Matthew said. "I have some questions for you, sir knight." Matthew said looking at the knight.

"All shall be answered, young acolyte." Tash replied.

Author's Notes:

Sorry…that took long. Anyway I've been busy since school just started…Oh well. Please leave your review… :D


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